Audiobooks! “Poison Reign” and “Desert Town Angels” – “Love Again, Love for Them” Coming Soon!

Audible and Apple and Spotify and more! So many Audiobook distributors!

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The Future With AI

Howdy.

I signed up for ChatGPT.

I figured I should be familiar with the competition.

On a side note – I came across a funny quirk while working on a project for my day job.

Excel wouldn’t sort or format a date before 1900.

That’s all for now.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

A Brand New Look!

You may have noticed that some of the novels by R. A. Lee have a whole new look. The website will be under construction as well (at some point)!

When I started publishing novels in 2011, I set out to write something between a romance novel and the Great American Novel.

Although I loved my one-of-a-kind artwork, I realized that I have now defined the genre in which I am writing.

I am writing love stories. Sure, my characters are a bit dark and pessimistic, but there are so many misconceptions about what it is like to be in love that it takes some people longer than others to realize they have found The One.

So, I had my team come up with a new look.

(P.S. I had my team take another look at the content as well. As a perfectionist, the mistakes jab me like a knife because you can read something over and over and still not see the mistake because you’re looking for other mistakes. But, that’s my problem to sort out.)

I hope you are enjoying my stories. If you haven’t had a chance to read one of my novels, I suggest starting with “Love Again, Love for Them.”

If you have any opinions on the new look, I would love to hear what you think. Do these covers fit the genre?

I won’t be updating for a while because I have three works in my head I am trying to complete by the end of the year! I still look forward to what you, the reader, have to say about what you have read so don’t hesitate to leave a review or email me with comments!

I am still striving for the writer’s ultimate goal. To write that classic that defines a generation.

Until then, I will write from my heart.

R. A. Lee

Inspiration for “Desert Town Angels” – Nipton

Dear Readers,

As I have said, one of the ways I get inspiration for story ideas is through reading news articles in the paper, online or in magazines. Although I may not actually visit a place, I can imagine what it’s like through articles.

I read A LOT. I used to be a voracious fiction reader, but when I started writing, I didn’t want to be inadvertently be influenced or compromise my own creativity, but that’s for another blog entirely.

Nipton is this tiny spot on the bottom of the barren desert landscape desert as you travel to and from Vegas and California on the 15.

It was another one of those turnoffs I had always wanted to explore, but never had the time and in the desert, if you turn off without knowing what to expect, you might find yourself in a very precarious situation without cell service. I don’t advise adventuring in the desert areas unless you are fully aware of the dangers and prepared for emergencies.

Quick side story, coming back from Laughlin one time, the LOML and I were in an older car and the radiator overheated IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. We actually happened to stop under an overpass, the only one for as far as the eye could see. We were alone on the road and we filled the radiator with water and hobbled to the rest area. When an older man saw us and we told him our story, he said we were lucky we didn’t crack the radiator because we hadn’t waited for the radiator to cool before putting water in it. LESSON LEARNED. Be prepared when traveling in the desert.

Back to Nipton. Right after I published “Desert Town Angels” the LOML and I decided to take a side trip from Searchlight to the 15. Searchlight is a desert town similar to all the desert towns that inspired the fictional setting of  “Golden Peaks.” Most people just drive right through the main road without even noticing the town. Of course Searchlight, the hometown for Sen. Harry Reid, has this really great place to use the restroom and buy snacks when going to and from Laughlin.

So we veer off at Searchlight and after passing a few residences, we head into the lonely desert under gray skies. Soon we pass a Joshua Tree forest. The first time I ever saw a Joshua Tree, which looks like a cactus mated with a palm tree, I thought I was looking at the Martian landscape, before we actually had photos of the Martian landscape.

Then up and over a hill where we passed snow-covered hills. We were excited to see the snow that came right up to the road (we’re from the West, we don’t get snow, we have to go to snow). At the bottom of this pass, there was a gathering of trees on the barren landscape that I thought was maybe a ranch. Silver train tracks cut across the desert and two trains were approaching from opposite directions (that’s when I kicked myself for not putting a train somewhere in my story).

Reaching the trees, we saw buildings and didn’t know we were in Nipton until we reached the train tracks and slowed down as we realized two things: 1. There was nothing beyond the tracks and we were about to leave Nipton and 2. If we crossed the tracks we would be stuck on the other side for a while.

With quick thinking, we turned left into a parking lot and there was a sign that read Nipton. Jumping out of the car with our cameras, we caught the two trains just as they passed looking as if they were going to crash into one another. It was interesting how one train had seemed closer and we didn’t expect them to reach the intersection at Nipton at the same time.

Turning, we walked to a rock garden in front of the B&B. Readers, if you love trains and barren desert landscapes and outdoor activities, this B&B is for YOU. There is one room in the cabin that faced the trains. Don’t worry, they provide earplugs as we were told by one of the friendly guests who gave us a tour of the cute little B&B.

Then we saw a restaurant, and a General Store, which was stocked pretty well. Not so long ago I had read about some problem on the 15 that diverted traffic through Nipton and the General Store was sold out and had to turn customers away. It was a very cute store.

Standing in Nipton, I smiled.

This was what I had envisioned, this desert town.

A collection of wood buildings with limited amenities on either side of a road leading to a state road on one end and on the other, an Interstate anchored by a larger desert town.

It wasn’t until after the trip that I realized my imagination had been influenced by these articles. I had been in Nipton and other desert towns before I ever visited them. I can already imagine what it will be like when I visit Goodsprings.

Imagination based on things you read in articles is another example of creative inspiration. I knew what a place like Nipton was like without ever going there because I had been to similar towns and I had lived in the desert area for so long.

If you enjoyed “Desert Town Angels,” I hope you got a sense of what it’s like to visit a desert town. I hope that if you have been to one yourself that I have captured the essence of the desert town atmosphere. If you have not, I hope that when you do have the opportunity to visit a desert town you will feel as if you’ve already been there, if only in your imagination.

R. A. Lee

Happy Valentine’s Day – Early

Dear Readers,

Living in the Western part of the United States, I spend a lot of time in CalNevAri (California Nevada Arizona). The Arizona trips are usually for Powerball tickets, but nonetheless, I love the desert towns.

Recently, a friend of mine was considering a Vegas wedding. Sadly, things changed, but that got me thinking about the other Vegas weddings to which I have been.

There are many MANY chapels on Las Vegas Boulevard. Some are so cute, like little churches from a fairytale. Some are in casinos. Others are in nondescript buildings downtown.

The only thing I can say is that I have been surprised at how romantic these weddings can be.

When I walked into this downtown square building I thought the wedding was going to be a depressing warehouse wedding.

This place was set up to look like the couple ran away to an Old Italian church. The reception was in a very small space but it looked exactly like a ballroom reception. From the pictures, you couldn’t tell the couple got married in a downtown Vegas building.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I was inspired to write a story about a couple who fall in love in Las Vegas.

Please look for “My Vegas Valentine” A Novella By R. A. Lee (Smashwords, Amazon, and where eBooks are sold).

It’s the type of romance I enjoy and I hope you enjoy as well.

 

My Vegas Valentine

There is a code between sisters: Thou shall not be intimate with a guy your sister dumps, not without her permission. Faith lives in the shadow of her more glamorous twin, but on a trip to Vegas she bumps into a man she takes for her sister’s ex-lover and debates breaking that code when she inadvertently spends Valentine’s Day with him after dumping her cheating boyfriend.

R. A. Lee

Ingredients for Inspiration – The Series

Hello readers,

Happy New Year!

After publishing my last book, Part Three of the “Desert Town Angels” trilogy, I thought I had gone one too many times to the creative well and it was dry, and that it would take time for it to fill up again.

In the next week, I will be coming out with a Valentine’s novella, but more on that later.

Where do you get your ideas? I hear this all the time from people who do not write and it’s hard for me to explain that I am just an observer and if I don’t get the story on paper, it just lingers in my mind.

I wanted to start a series on Inspiration in the Writing Process.

Writing is the last part of writing. Years ago I picked up an article about Zzyzx south of Vegas. For years I passed that exit and wondered where the name came from. Then one day, I took the turnoff and I thought about exploring the place in the article, but I had a rental and wasn’t allowed on unpaved roads.

As a voracious reader, I came across a story about the tamarisk plant and how it’s a non-native plant that sucks the desert dry and it’s almost impossible to eradicate.

I’m the kind of person who loves going to open houses and keeping up with the real estate market (I would love to own a piece of real estate one day, with no mortgage, paid off, that’s the dream) so I was transfixed when I came across articles about entire towns for sale.

Can you imagine owning a town?

Can you imagine inheriting a town?

The next best thing to realizing a dream is imagining that dream. I can imagine what it would be like to inherit a town.

Then, I let those articles sit in my subconscious until I woke from a dream where a woman inherits a desert town and must eradicate the heir for the citizens to live in peace.

Then I took a trip from Vegas to Reno and visited the old mining and desert towns on the way.

“Desert Town Angels” was a project that started like most writing projects:

The Three ingredients

Ingredients:

1. Reading lots of newspaper and online articles

2. Enjoying a hobby (mine is real estate and open houses) (I also love to bake when I am writing to alleviate the pressure of forcing a plot line that doesn’t make sense for the characters.)

3. Taking trips to new areas on the map

Let these experiences simmer in the subconscious (could be years) then one day you’ll wake up with characters who decide to let you into their lives so that you may chronicle their adventures.

In the next part of this series, I will share with you some of my inspiration for “Desert Town Angels” as well as my other novels.

Ideas are all around, we just have to be receptive to them.

Writing only happens when all these ideas come together and you can actually see the novel or story like a movie in your head.

Writing is the easy part, it’s everything before and after that are the most important part of bringing a novel or story to life.

R. A. Lee

Happy New ??? – Where do We Get A new Calendar Round

I wonder if the Mayans realized what the world would be like when their calendar ended Dec. 21, 2012?

This great civilization had great understanding of the stars and math and then ended their calendar yesterday.

The last page of the calendar had been ripped off and what was the world discussing?

 The billioneth (is that a word?) view of that Gangnam dancer.

 Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings and Happy First Day of the post-apocalyptic world.

 R. A. Lee

Desert Town Angels Part Three eBook NOW AVAILABLE on Smashwords and Amazon

Dear Readers,

 It’s finally here!

 Desert Town Angels PART THREE

“The Final Showdown in Golden Peaks”

The secrets have been revealed. With the fate of Golden Peaks no longer in limbo, Van and Ryan are free to engage in their own pursuits beyond the desert town. As more strangers reveal the ongoing saga involving the residents of Golden Peaks, Van has learned to adapt to everything about her new life except her feelings for Ryan. As she accepts new life challenges, Van prepares for one last showdown with Sheri, but it may be something under the soil that will decide Van’s future in Golden Peaks.

 The rollout begins on Smashwords and Amazon Kindle!

 Followed by:

 Sony

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

Diesel

Baker-Taylor

 I hope you enjoy!

 Your feedback would be appreciated!

 Merry Christmas! Season’s Greetings! Happy Hanukkah!

 R. A. Lee

Desert Town Angels Part Two eBook NOW AVAILABLE on Smashwords and Amazon

Dear Readers,

 It’s finally here!

 Desert Town Angels

PART TWO

“The Kin of Ms. Honey Hallowell”

 

The will of Howard Thornbon has been read and the kin of Ms. Honey Hallowell, a woman named Van, has taken over the town of Golden Peaks. Time is ticking. Howard has stipulated Van must remain in the town thirty days before taking full ownership, otherwise the property reverts to his daughter, who will do everything in her power to take back her birthright. Thirty days to decide the fate of Golden Peaks. Thirty days to learn why Howard left Golden Peaks to the kin of Ms. Honey Hallowell.

The rollout begins on Smashwords and Amazon Kindle!

Followed by:

Sony

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

Diesel

Baker-Taylor

 

I hope you enjoy!

COMING SOON! In December!

Desert Town Angels PART THREE

“The Final Showdown in Golden Peaks”